My 2011 golf diesel with 31,000 miles died in rush hour on a major street. Had it towed to the dealer. A week later, I got the car back. They found metallic debris in the high pressure pump bore and were advised to replace the entire fuel system, a massive amount of parts. They tested the diesel, which was not the problem. The warranty covered this approximate $8000 cost. Now, I have a major decision on keeping the car or buying another one. My service rep said that my warranty was for 1 year from the date I received the car back. This does not seem fair, it should be for another 5 years, falling under the power train warranty, these are all new parts. Will this happen again? I bought this car because vw was suppose to be such a reliable car and would hate to get rid of it, cause it is an excellent car but I am not sure if it worth the risk of this maybe happening again and having to dish out $8000.
2011 Volkswagen Golf fuel system complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 48, newest first, as owners wrote them.
When driving car and accelerating, the engine simply stopped. The dash-board lights were on, but the engine lost power. Attempts to re-start the car were not immediately successful. In two of the three cases, the engine did re-start. However, the e-starts occurred over 4 hours after the initial loss of engine power. In one of the three cases, the car could not be re-started. In this last case, the car was towed to the dealer and as of today (10 november), the dealer has not determined the cause of failure. A near miss accident occurred in one of the cases. After the engine stopped, another car nearly rear-ended my disabled car. The other car skidded and served out of the way of my disabled car.
Check engine light came on. Took vehicle to an independent repair shop and after it was checked out mechanic stated the fuel pump and fuel system were contaminated with metal shavings. Mechanic advised that the engine could stall and not restart at any time if repairs were not made. Took the vehicle to the local volkswagen dealership and received the same diagnosis. Dealership service manager stated that the repairs were not covered under warranty but nonetheless that volkswagen would repair the fuel system at no cost. Vw dealership suggested that the vehicle had been misfueled, leading to the fuel pump failure. That was not the case. The vehicle has never been fueled with anything but diesel fuel.
While driving at highway speed glow plug light began blinking and car lost power and went into "limp" mode. Had car towed to dealer where it was determined that the in-tank fuel pump and diesel high pressure fuel pump had both done bad, possibly a cascading failure. Repair was performed at no charge despite being outside of warranty. Eight months later and 18,000 miles later at approx 79,000 miles, similar symptoms and failure as determined by the same dealer. This was again repaired by vw under "goodwill warranty" . There must be some sort systemic or design failure with the fuel pumps on these cars. There are pages of complaints here and on various tdi web forums documenting instances of fuel pump failures.
As an addendum to my previous email complaint #. The mileage of the vehicle is 62000 not 101000 (km) also I was driving at 110km which I believe is 68 miles per hour. I was confused giving you 65 miles but total vehicle mileage in km. I hope this is clear and many thanks.
Hello-firstly I am canadian with a vehicle purchased "brand new" from erie pa. On thurs sept 4/14 at 6:30pm traveling home from work my vehicle lost majority of power (dropped to barely moving) and then complete power approximately 1 mile from when the problem happened-the check engine light was blinking rapidly-the car was struggling-buckling-kicking back at the attempts to move. I came to a complete stop in a busy stretch of highway and was narrowly missed by several cars and a transport truck. I was dead in the water and could not exit my vehicle. I did not know what had happened to my vehicle as there was no issue with my car and I have maintained my vehicle to standards outlined by vw. My vehicle was towed to a local vw dealership and I did not receive a full quote for the scope of work needing to be done for two business days. I was told there are metal shards in my hpfp. I was told that the entire fuel system - injectors - pump and all the parts from front to back needs to be replaced. The cost is $7500+tax (cnd). I have now been in a rental vehicle for 7 days and the parts are expected today (sept 10/14)? I've been told it will take 22 hrs. I have asked for all the parts back. After reading many blog posts about hpfp failures on line in both the us and cnd I am perplexed why a total recall has not been placed on vw. I am out of warranty but this issue has been acknowledged and apparent to vw for years. I called vwoa but they do not recognize "the car" and neither does vw cnd. I have driven vw tdi's since '01 and know diesel fuel-this was not misfueled. Vw knows there is a problem. I am devastated as I can not afford this repair-I can not afford to buy another car-I can not sell this car without repairing it. I feel vwoa and canada and germany are all liable for negligence regarding safety. I could have been killed on thurs sept 4/14.
On the night of august 5 about 8:30pm, while driving at 45mph, my car lost power while driving. I was able to get out of the traffic flow and coast until I could get to a side road and then pushed it into a parking lot. I looked at the engine and saw the serpentine belt was damaged. I also noticed fuel sitting on top of surfaces in the engine compartment. I asked my son to verify if he smelled fuel which he did as I have little sense of smell. After seeing the damaged serpentine belt, I did not attempt to restart the engine. I had the vehicle towed. At the dealer, the service representative attempted to try to start the vehicle and move it and said it wouldn't start, possibly causing additional damage since the serpentine belt was shredded. After some investigation the dealer's service manager explained that their leading theory is that diesel fuel leaked from fuel filter gasket onto the serpentine belt. Then the shredded serpentine belt took out the timing belt and caused the engine to rotate out of time causing internal damage. Car had been maintained per manufacturer schedule by this dealer, and this failure occurred 6k miles after most recent service. Dealer was unsure why the diesel fuel leaked, but the high pressure fuel pump and fuel filter seemed viable problem points. After getting engine parts replaced at great expense and getting the engine running on aug 30, 2014, dealer indicated that they couldn't detect a fuel leak and said serpentine belt condition showed no condition to indicate failure but failed anyway causing the cavalcade of engine damage. Many parts were replaced or removed and reinstalled during the repair, so it is questionable that there was no fuel leak.
While driving at approx 75 MPH in the fast lane of an interstate freeway my 2011 vw golf tdi shut off. Without warning, the glow plug lamp began flashing and check engine note came on the dash. At the same time the car lost all power and began running very rough. While negotiating traffic in an attempt to pull over (quite dangerous without power and tractor trailers now passing my slowing car) the car shut off taking the power brakes and power steering with it. I was able to safely get off the highway due to the wide shoulder in that area but this would have been another story had this happened in an area with no shoulder or safe pull off. My car has been properly maintained at service intervals and fueled from name brand, high volume filling stations. Vws own tests of my car indicated no fault of my own and nothing amiss in the fuel but rather catastrophic failure of a high pressure pump which displaced metal into the fuel system. This sort of failure is common enough (noted in a simple internet search) and flat out dangerous when it occurs at speed since the car gave no indications that it was going to shut off at speed (and fail to restart without being towed to the dealer). Worse yet, vw is aware of this issue with the tdi diesels but has stopped short of issuing a recall to install new parts that will not fail so soon and without warning. The car was fixed under warranty (car has only 38,000 miles) however they replaced the parts with the same failure prone parts. Web anecdotes from others with similar failures have noted that it happens in hotter areas (90-100 degree temps). This was my experience as well as I was in the middle of a long drive in 100 degree temps.
2011 volkswagen golf tdi, started shaking while driving. I just made it to the right lane when the engine stopped completely, leaving me stranded on the side of the road. Car was towed to the dealership where they diagnosed a faulty fuel pump, leaving residues of metal in the engine. Car is little over 40,000miles, 5,000 miles out of warranty. Vw however agreed to fix the issue for free. It would have been a $10,000 repair. According to the service people, they have seen several issues like this, related to diesel golf. Luckily I was driving on a city street, but the engine shutting on a highway would have been extremely dangerous. It seems to be a pretty common issue, such that vw will fix it for free instead of charging customers. I am now worried this will happen again in another 40,000 miles. I am purchasing extended warranty, but vw should recall and replace all faulty pumps.
Stalled while traveling full speed on the freeway in the desert, glow plug light and check engine light came on, was almost hit by several trucks while attempting to coast to the nearest off ramp 1/4 mi away, at the end of the off ramp vehicle stalled, again almost hit by several more vehicles. We were able to push the car off middle of the offramp to the side of the road. Dealer states high pressure fuel pump failure, known issue with my make/model/year of vehicle. Stalling on freeway is a very dangerous issue. Many owners have had multiple failures of this part as it wasn't designed properly for us diesel specs (was designed for europe.) vw needs to address this issue. This was not an issue of misfueling, I have only used diesel from brand name stations, your current investigation blaming this on misfueling is incorrect, it is clearly a part defect. The latest redesigned part for the 2013 model year has had failures as well (third redesign of part.)
Last week, the engine light came on again in my golf tdi the way it had a year ago when the fuel pump failed. I took it in again and was told the possibility it was a fuel pump issue again after they replaced the entire thing brand new last summer was close to zero. However, I received a call that afternoon saying once again the fuel pump was having problems due to "dirty diesel." last summer after the car was repaired I was told only to go to shell and chevron. I have only gone to the same chevron station this entire time and the problem occurred again. I was told by the dealer mechanic that dirty diesel is a rampant problem in the pacific nw and that it was not a good idea that I only went to one gas station and that I should try others. I was also told, I "barely" drove the thing as it only had 5000 miles added on it since last summer. He said diesel can grow bacteria and that he would put additives in my current tank and then my next tank I should add another bottle of additives. How this solves the problem long term I have no idea. So apparently I was sold a vehicle with a fuel pump that a) can not handle the diesel quality in the entire pacific nw region I live in and b) must drive at a certain pace/rate to keep the fuel pump clean. I am going to try and sell the vehicle as soon as I can find a replacement as this seems like an inherent flaw in the car that will never go away since they continue to replace it with the same faulty fuel pump.
High pressure fuel lines were leaking large amounts of fuel. Fuel leaked on to alternator, car stalled on highway and required towing.
My vehicle is a tdi diesel version of the vw 2011 golf. During my commute home I was traveling at highway speed in the left lane of southbound highway 101 in ca when a warning light illuminated (glow plug) and I lost significant speed and power. I made my way to the right shoulder and was able to travel in "limp mode" for another mile or so before the car died. I called the nearest vw dealer and had my car towed to that dealer. Initial feedback from the dealer is that it is a high pressure fuel pump (hpfp) failure. Root cause and repair have not been completed as of today, monday july 22, 2013.
Engine light coming and going, lurching intermittently upon acceleration. Took it into the dealer 3 times since march 2013 after it started happening in feb 2013. Today received a call from the service dept at the dealer claiming there is sediment throughout the fuel system due to dirty diesel which the filters can not catch. He stated the entire fuel system will need to be replaced. Told me to call my insurance agent to get him involved despite the fact that the car is under a 7 year warranty and this apparently has happened to many other tdi hpfps and is not due to the issue of the quality of diesel fuel.
Engine warning light, loss of power, engine stall. Dealer said fuel pump failed, contaminated complete fuel system. Entire fuel system must be replaced. *tr ## VIN failed ##
I was on a road trip for vacation when my car died. I was driving about 35 MPH one evening when I heard a light metallic ping and, a few seconds later, the engine shut off and many lights in the dash cluster came on. The car coasted to a stop. I had it towed to the nearest mechanic the next day and, after they weren't able to find the root cause, I had it towed to the nearest vw dealership. The next day they informed me that the suspected problem was fuel contamination (gas in a diesel tank), which caused the fuel pump to fail and metal particles were found in the fuel pump/lines. This charge of fuel contamination came as quite a bit of a surprise, since the last fuel I?d purchased was at a fuel station near my home town (and a receipt confirms that this was a diesel pump, in case there is any doubt). I had traveled over 600 miles on a single tank. The list of parts replaced was nearly 20 parts long and included a diesel injection pump, 4 diesel injection lines, fuel rail, etc. Fortunately, vw covered the repairs under warranty (though others with this problem haven't been so lucky). After the repairs were completed and I traveled back to retrieve my car, I began searching online and found that there were quite a few other vw tdi owners from 2009 onward, that experienced the same type of issue. All appeared to be related to failure of the high pressure fuel pump (hpfp), all were very expensive repairs, only some were covered under vw warranty and many were blamed on fuel contamination.
I was driving on i15 southbound, the engine malfunction symbol appeared on my dash board and all of a sudden the car lost power and stalled. After paying over $800.00 in towing fees to the nearest vw dealer in ontario california. The dealer is asking if gasoline was put in the tank. They are saying that metal shards were found and gasoline is the only cause of that malfunction. I am the only driver of the car and I have never put gasoline. I always fill up at the same gas station due to the fact that not all gas station have diesel.
We filled up the tank with diesel at gas station on the road and the car started stalling 3 days later. It would only start after an hour of "rest". After 3 of these incidents, we took it to the dealer to find out that the car had gasoline mixed with diesel, or "contaminated fuel". They flushed the car and changed the filters at a cost of $1275, but warn that it may require a full overhaul! (cost estimated at $8k). So I asked, how I am suppose to know what's good diesel or not? Is there a test? Some way of knowing? The dealer had no suggestions nor guidance on this regard. Now we find on the web forums, that this is not an isolated case and that there are many cases (in fact the dealer mentioned a few were in the shop for the same issue) escalating this issue from the random misuse of gas or contaminated gas. Net, there's an issue when you have a car you can't rely on because of the diesel supplies. I am very disappointed and concerned that this new car will stall again and leave us stranded.
As I was entering the on ramp to get on the highway, under normal acceleration, there was a hissing sound and the car stalled in the middle of the highway lane where multiple cars were getting on and off the highway. I was forced to pull to the side of the exit ramp where I waited 45 min for a tow truck to get us while cars flew past my fiancee and I, putting our lives in danger. I had the car towed to the dealer where I purchased the car. Today, 11/26/2012, I was told that the hpfp(high pressure fuel pump) had failed and would be replaced under the warranty. I am waiting for further information as to whether there are any more malfunctions or not. This seems to be a common problem that vwoa has failed to acknowledge and is putting peoples lives in danger.
Vehicle engine stopped while vehicle was stopped. Would not restart. Towed to dealer. Dealer service reported rust in fuel canister. Claims cause of failure was bad fueled. $7200 in parts and labor. Based on several blogs, I suspect hpfp failure was part malfunction but vw does not admit to this.
Had been driving for about 70 miles stopped for about 20 minutes. Restarted car drove 1/2 mile to the freeway made the turn on to the freeway and the car would not accelerate and came to a stop. I was lucky enough to get it off the highway and on to the shoulder. Dealer says it is contaminated fuel and the fuel pump failed.
I was driving my vw golf tdi about 15 MPH due to heavy traffic when coil sign began flashing and the service engine soon alert appeared. After approximately 200 yards the vehicle stopped and would not start again. There was no accident because traffic lights turned red. The vehicle was pushed from the intersection to the curb and towed to a vw dealership. Fuel pump, fuel filter housing, all fuel injectors, fuel lines, and high pressure fuel pump were removed and replaced with new parts. The vehicle is now operating.
High pressure fuel injection pump failed.
I was driving my vehicle at approximately 35mph, after just having left a store. All of a sudden the engine started making a "clunky" sound and the hud displayed "service engine". I pulled to the side of the road and shut off the engine. I tried to refire the engine thinking perhaps there was a hiccup in the fuel lines. The vehicle restarted with the same clunky sound, and abruptly stalled within 5 seconds.
Had driven car 20 miles that day. Went inside for 15 minutes, came back. Unable to start car. Unable to engage engine. Lights and shifters all working. 5 attempts by 3 different people over next hour and unable to start car. Vw tow truck driver unable to start car. Next morning vw able to start car. Vw dealer attributes problem to water/algae in fuel. Line cleaned and fuel replaced by dealer. Car picked up. Car driven 15 miles total after pick-up. Left car for 5 minutes, returned to car but unable to restart car. Multiple attempts failed. Tow truck driver able to start car after 5 minutes of constantly engaging engine. Being investigated by vw dealer now.
When accelerating onto the highway, the check engine light flashed "service engine immediately" and the glow plug light flashed. Vw service was called, they indicated that the car should not be driven. It was towed to the nearest dealership where they indicated that the fuel pressure was too low. They replaced the fuel pressure regulator with no improvement. They then indicated that the high pressure fuel pump was faulty and replace the pump (part number 03l130755a), the pipe (03l130235s), seal (n 90451902), valve (057130764h).
My high pressure fuel pump (hpfp) failed while driving on the highway. I was able safely get off the highway, but barely and was left stranded in an intersection. I had to push the car out of the intersection. I read online that many volkswagen tdi owners experience the same thing. Please force vw to address this issue. I did not pump gasoline into my tank. That is ludicrous.
Car stalled on freeway off ramp in traffic, and would not restart. The car was blocking traffic, and needed to be towed to dealership to be repaired. The dealer stated that the high pressure fuel pump (hpfp) had failed.
During regular slow traffic driving conditions my 2011 volkswagen golf tdi displayed the "engine control malfunction" light on my instrument panel. I quickly pulled over and turned off the engine. After waiting several minutes I started the vehicle again and the light turned off. After about 10 minutes of driving, the light came on again and I noticed an extreme loss of power. I pulled over again within a few minutes and turned off the engine. This time I waited almost 15 minutes before trying to start the vehicle again and it would not start. I thought I was out of diesel as the low fuel light had also just come on so I called someone to bring me 5 gallons of diesel thinking maybe I was out. After refueling, the vehicle still wouldn't start so I had it towed to the closest vw dealer. The dealer said it was the fuel pump and I am currently waiting for it to be repaired. This happend on a saturday and it is now 4 days later.
2011 vw golf tdi 6-speed manual. My car was at the vw dealership to have an intercooler kit installed (tsb 2025464). On dealer's test drive, car abruptly stalled and would not restart. All power lost, car had to be towed off of roadway. Finally diagnosed as a malfunctioning high pressure fuel pump. 03l-130-851-ax was the replacement part number. Repair description stated that the common rail fuel pressure was too low, so the car's ECM would not allow injection - even in a limp-home mode. This left the one-year-old car with under 14,000 miles dead on the roadway.
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